Twizel Castle

We have recently carried out documentary and archaeological research on Twizel Castle, a ruined ancient monument near the Scottish border in north Northumberland.

The research, carried out by Catherine Kent as part of her York University Master's dissertation, took the form of a 'biography' of Twizel, combining archaeological and archival research to show that the monument contained fabric from the 13th to the 19th centuries, having begun life as an early medieval hall house, rather than the 14th/15th century tower previously assumed. Later incarnations included a previously unrecognised 16th century Renaissance-inspired manor house, a Gothick fantasy castle and a huge late-Georgian 'castle', which was not completed until the 1860's. The castle was finally dismantled and converted into a romantic ruin in the late 19th century. The University submitted the research for the Society of Post-Medieval Archaeology dissertation prize.